Chapter 34

Christmas Eve 1870 – Colorado Springs

A few days had passed, and Michaela and Sully were still stuck on the reservation. The second snowstorm had arrived sooner than they had expected, and Michaela was beginning to wonder if they would ever see town again.

She was hungry and tired, and though she'd bathed herself earlier that afternoon, she felt as if a hot, soapy bath would feel nice on her tense muscles.

The good thing, however, was that Sully was doing better by the day. He had even ventured out of the teepee to speak with Cloud Dancing earlier. Johnny and Michaela were busy trying not to think about the holiday. It was Christmas Eve, and like any child, Johnny was excited, but he was saddened at the same time, because he didn't think Santa would find him on the reservation.

"Do ya think he knows how to get here?" Johnny asked, as he worked on a new dream catcher, one he intended to give to his future stepmother.

"I'm not sure, Johnny, but I'm certain that you'll have a lovely Christmas when we get back to town." Johnny frowned.

"Think they already buried Grandpa?" Michaela swallowed hard. She didn't need to answer, because he already knew. "You think he's mad that I wasn't there?"

"Oh, Johnny…I'm sure he's not angry with you. He loved you very much." Johnny nodded slowly, and Michaela nervously wrapped and arm around him. "I hope you're not terribly disappointed to be spending Christmas with us out here." Johnny shook his head, looking up at him.

"I'm not. I like it out here. Nobody's fightin' or yellin'. It's quiet out here." Johnny was quiet for a moment, and Michaela started going through the meager amount of supplies she had left in her medical bag. She sighed, and Johnny groaned in frustration. "I'm gonna go ask Cloud Dancin' how to do this loop."

"Alright," Michaela said with a smile. "Bundle up. It's cold out there." Johnny nodded and bundled up before heading out of the teepee. Michaela pulled the entrance tight so the cold air wouldn't fill the teepee.

Humming to herself, she started to stoke the small fire that Johnny had helped her to build, and as the flames started to grow, she felt a cold blast of air followed by two arms wrapping around her. She grinned at the feel of him there, pressed up behind her.

"Sully!" she laughed, as his lips made contact with her neck. "Byron Sully!" The whiskers on his chin tickled her, and she let out a loud squeal, as his hands tickled her sides. She gasped for breath and wriggled out of his embrace. He caught her, and she spun around, laughing helplessly, as his lips found hers, and their bodies pressed together.

She hadn't had this much fun in a long time, but she knew they had to be careful. They hadn't been intimate since the morning they'd almost been caught by Johnny, and Michaela was determined that she could resist him, though her battle was quickly taking a turn for the worse. It was harder and harder to concentrate when he wasn't there.

As they tumbled back onto the furs, his weight pressed against her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, opening her mouth up to him. Sully gently smoothed back her hair, looking into her soft, cinnamon and jade eyes. He couldn't resist another kiss. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to be with her. He loved her more than anything in the world, and seeing the smile spread across her face filled his heart with so much joy. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe she was his…he was hers.

"Sully," Michaela whispered, as his lips moved back to her neck. She smiled a little, tilting her head back for just a moment. But, the sound of a crow in the distance startled her, and she started to push him away, just as his hand grazed the side of her breast. Sully backed off, and he eyed her curiously.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Just got carried away."

"That's alright," she replied, her cheeks blushing as she reached out to squeeze his hand. "I'm just thinking…we should be getting ready to head back into town."

"I know," Sully replied. "Johnny's lookin' forward to Christmas."

"I know. He…he says he wouldn't mind spending Christmas Eve out here," Michaela pointed out. She smiled at Sully. "As much as I would like to get back into town, perhaps we could stay one more night." Sully smiled a little.

"That's what ya want?"

"If you want to," Michaela pointed out. "I know you're anxious about getting into town and getting something for Johnny's Christmas present."

"Wouldn't do no good. The shops close early anyway. I been workin' on somethin' though."

"You have? Since when?"

"Since I been workin' on it when you're sleepin'." Michaela's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?" Sully chuckled, and Michaela grinned at his sneakiness. "What have you been doing?"

"I'm makin' him a medicine pouch…like mine." Michaela watched Sully pull the pouch out from his pack. He showed her the material, and she ran her fingers over it. "He'll be protected that way." Michaela smiled. She loved the idea that Sully and Johnny wanted to protect one another. Sully was making his son a medicine pouch, and Johnny had given his father a dream catcher. "All I gotta do know is fill it. Cloud Dancin' is gonna help me later." Sully cleared his throat and placed the gift back in his pack.

"Cloud Dancing has taught me a lot of useful treatments," Michaela pointed out. "I've been thinking of…of writing about them."

"Writin' about 'em?" Sully asked, sitting Indian-style across from Michaela. She nodded.

"I think that if more people were to learn of these herbs…these Cheyenne remedies…I think it would be helpful for everyone."

"Even to the Cheyenne?" Michaela nodded.

"I think so." Sully winked and kissed her hand. "Well, I can't think of a better person to write it, but ya'd have to talk to Cloud Dancin'. It'd be the right thing to do." Michaela nodded.

"Of course. I already have, and he's agreed." Her eyes sparkled at the smile that spread across his face. "I'm happy you introduced me to him, Sully. Cloud Dancing is a good man."

"He is." Just as they were leaning toward one another, Johnny came rushing in.

"Dr. Mike! Dr. Mike!" he exclaimed.

"Johnny! What is it? Are you hurt?"

"No! Come quick! Ya gotta help her! Ya gotta help her!" A moment later, Johnny disappeared out of sight, Michaela and Sully glanced at one another, and they quickly hurried after the boy. Michaela grabbed her medical bag and hoped that whatever had happened, she wasn't too late.

Christmas Eve 1870 – St. Louis

Carrie sat staring out her window, wishing she was on the other side of it. She hadn't seen or heard from Daniel in days. She didn't blame him. She had told him to go. She wanted him there, but she didn't think it was fair to hold him back from living his life, when she was being held captive in this prison, uncertain of when she was going to be released. She could have gone with him, but something had held her back. She knew that if she'd gone without a word, people would come looking for her. No. She was going to talk herself out of that place if it was the last thing she did.

"Miss James?" A nurse came in with Carrie's pills. What the hell was she taking them for anyway? She wasn't crazy. She didn't need sedatives. She didn't need someone to tell her that she was going to be alright. She knew all of that. But, the more she sat in that room, the more she felt like she belonged there. The concentric circles in the patterns of the ceiling made her feel dizzy and disoriented, and when the nurses came in and found her that way, they would shove pills down her throat. "How are we feeling today?"

"I don't know how we're feeling today," Carrie snapped. "I just know that I'm bein' held here like a prisoner. I don't know why the hell ya keep me here when all I wanna do is get out and go home."

"Where is home?" the nurse asked with a sympathetic and almost childlike frown.

"Home…is anywhere but here."

"Well, it's time for your…"

"I ain't takin' them damned pills," Carrie swore. "You're keepin' me here…tellin' me it's for my own good. Ya think I'm crazy, and I ain't."

"Nobody said you were crazy, Miss James."

"Then why the hell…"

"Miss James, please!"

"Look. Look, lady. What's your name?"

"Veronica."

"Look, Veronica. I lost my baby. I was pregnant, and I lost my baby. I didn't even know 'til it was gone. The doctor has this idea that I'm gonna hurt myself 'cause I don't have my baby. I never even thought of it. But, I'll tell ya one thing."

"What's that?"

"If you don't get me out of here, I'm going to surely hurt somebody, and it ain't gonna be myself."

"Threats don't work with me, Miss James," Veronica said with a frown. "I'll have to tell…"

"Do you have kids?" Veronica furrowed her brows.

"A son."

"If you…if you lost your son, how would you react? If you lost a part of yourself that you didn't have enough time with yet…how would you react?" Veronica shifted on her heels.

"I…"

"Let me put it to ya this way. If ya found out ya were havin' a baby and ya lost the baby in the same day, how would it make ya feel?" Veronica swallowed hard.

"Terrible," she said sadly.

"Would ya cry?"

"Of course…I…"

"So what's the difference between me and you? There ain't nothin' wrong with me. I just want out. I'm tired. This place is drivin' me crazy. It ain't me. It's this place. I just want fresh air. I want to start a new life and not think 'bout St. Louis or the cattle drive…or this."

"I'm sorry," Veronica said quietly.

"You should be," Carrie snapped. "None of ya have got a right to keep me locked up here."

"I could talk to your doctor…"

"He ain't gonna listen to me." She shook her head. "I'm gonna walk out of here. He can't keep me here without orders."

"I wish you wouldn't…"

"I ain't sick. All I want is to…"

"Please, Miss."

"Leave her alone." Carrie and Veronica both whipped around to see a tall gentleman with sandy blonde hair and piercing eyes standing there. "I'm takin' her out of here tonight. She don't belong here." Carrie's eyes went wide, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Daniel…"

Christmas Eve 1870 – Cheyenne Reservation

"Johnny! Stay back!" Michaela called, pulling her arms around the boy, as he knelt down in the snow next to the creature.

"But, she's hurt, Dr. Mike!" The animal's eyes were closed, and blood poured out of her side. Michaela could already tell that her lung had been punctured. Her tongue was lolled out of the side of her mouth, and her breaths were shallow. Michaela looked at Sully, and she knew the animal was dying.

"Johnny…I'm sorry," she said softly.

"No. Look at her! She's havin' babies!" Michaela glanced at the swollen belly of the mother wolf, and she gasped. "Save the babies, Dr. Mike." Michaela swallowed hard, looking at the uncertain eyes of her future husband.

"I…I could try," she ventured.

"Michaela," Sully warned.

"She's still breathing…the…the pups could still be alive," Michaela pointed out.

"You sure ya wanna do this?"

"They won't survive if I don't."

"Will they if ya do?" Michaela swallowed hard and looked sympathetically at the mother wolf. Something told her she needed to do all she could to fight for those babies' lives, because the mother could no longer do it.

"I need to take that chance," she said softly, slowly reaching out to stroke the mother behind the ears. The animal whined and let out a heavy breath. Michaela looked at Johnny. "Johnny, why don't you go back to the teepee and get a blanket?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Johnny said quickly. He jumped up and hurried off, as a few Cheyenne rushed over. Cloud Dancing put his hand on Sully's shoulder, and Sully stood up slowly. Michaela gently placed her hand over the mother's tummy.

"It's alright, girl," she whispered. She started searching through her medical bag and found her scalpel. She cleared her throat, and a moment later, the wolf let out her last painful breath. Michaela frowned, and she felt a tear slip down her cheek. "It's over, girl. Don't worry anymore." She began to make an incision in the animal's belly, and Sully knelt down in the snow beside her. Johnny came rushing back with a blanket. "Unfold that. Be ready." Sully nodded, and he took the blanket from Johnny."

A moment later, Michaela lifted a tiny wolf pup into the air. It was completely white, which surprised her coming from a gray wolf. It looked to be fully developed but small for its age. She figured it was the runt, which meant its health was more critical.

She passed the pup into Sully's blanketed hands, a moment later, she handed over two gray pups, one darker and the other lighter. Three more followed, and Michaela knew that the litter was complete.

"What now?" Sully asked, covering them and pulling them into his arms.

"Let's take them to the teepee…keep them warm."

"You're sure 'bout this?"

"Yes," Michaela said with a nod. She glanced at Johnny and he smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Dr. Mike." Michaela quickly wiped off her hands, and she hurried away with Johnny and Sully, as a few of the Cheyenne men prepared to take care of the mother wolf's body.

Once in the teepee, Sully placed the blanket close to the fire and gently unwrapped the puppies. Johnny crawled on this hands and knees to see the little ones more closely.

"Look at 'em, Pa! They're real cute! Can we keep 'em?"

"Johnny, these are wild animals. They have to live out in the woods."

"But…they don't have a ma no more. Who's gonna teach 'em how to be wild?" Michaela and Sully looked at one another. The boy had a good point, but they didn't need to talk about that at the moment. "They're gonna be alright, ain't they?" Michaela didn't want to break the little boy's heart, but she knew that the chances of all of them surviving were very slim.

"I'm going to do my best, sweetheart," Michaela said gently. "We're going to need warm milk. Would you ask Cloud Dancing to help you get some?" Johnny nodded.

"Sure." He hurried away, and Michaela looked at Sully.

"Probably shouldn't have told him…"

"Sully, not now," Michaela warned. "I couldn't just let them die."

"But, are they gonna be better off like this?" Michaela shook her head.

"All I know is that…that mother carried those puppies and stayed alive long enough to get here. It's almost like…like she was led here."

"Ya really believe that?" Sully wondered. Michaela cast her eyes up at him.

"Do you believe that the North Star guided us to one another?" Sully swallowed hard. "It's the same, Sully." She smiled down at the litter of puppies. "The least I can do for her is try to save her children."

As Sully watched her, he saw such a maternal protectiveness in her. He'd seen it when Michaela had pulled Johnny back from the mother wolf, too. She was gentle and caring and put everything and everyone ahead of herself. He knew she was going to make a great mother one day, and he was looking forward to having a family with her.

"Look at them, Sully," Michaela said softly. "That little white one…she's the runt, but she looks strong."

"She does," Sully said with a nod.

"She's the color of snow. She's perfect."

"She's the oddball, it looks like." Michaela grinned.

"And I'm not? I'm certainly not like…like most women. I'm a doctor…I…"

"Looks like ya found your soul mate," he teased. Michaela rolled her eyes, and she gently touched the pup's back.

"You'll be alright, won't you?" Michaela asked softly, crooning over the tiny thing. Sully gently reached out and put his arm around her, and they huddled around the wolf pups.

When Johnny returned, he had a skin full of milk.

"Still warm," he said quietly. "You think they'll take it?"

"It won't hurt to try," Michaela replied quietly. She dug into the pockets of her coat and found one of her gloves. She took a pair of scissors and cut a tiny hole on the tip of the finger. Michaela found an empty quinine bottle that she'd washed out. She handed it to Sully. "Fill this with milk." Sully did as Michaela instructed, and a few moments later, they had put together a makeshift bottle. Johnny was mesmerized.

"That's real smart, Dr. Mike!"

"We should probably stay here tonight. Best not to travel in the dark with the puppies." Johnny's eyes widened.

"So ya mean it?" he asked. "We can take care of the puppies?"

"We mean it," Sully chuckled. "We'll look after 'em 'til they're old enough to…well, we'll see what happens." Michaela grinned at Sully. She couldn't believe how quickly he had softened to the idea of caring for the puppies.

"When?" Johnny asked, not liking the sound of giving the puppies up anytime soon.

"We don't know," Sully replied. "Let's just wait and see how things turn out."

"So…we're stayin' tonight?" Sully glanced at Michaela, and his eyes twinkled.

"We're stayin'"